XC flying – Saint Andre les Alpes

Is it for you?

Saint André is a great fun place to fly, and is the starting point for many of the classic Alpine XC routes. It can be strong and a little more technical at times though, so we usually only take people there who have already done one or more XC trip with us – which means you’ll have both good SIV skills and some Alpine XC experience.

About the trip

This is the chance to fly some of the classic Alpine XC routes, including the Dormillouse run up to beautiful Lac de Serre Ponçon. This is a very popular trip with many people coming back year after year. Our goal for the week is for everyone in the group to fly as many XC kilometres as possible. During the week we’ll lead you through the planning process we use in our route setting, fly as far as we can and have fun doing it! We also want you to go away with knowledge and skills so you’ll have more confidence to get out there on your own.

We run it with a high ratio of instructors to students to make sure no one ever gets left behind and everyone gets plenty of support to get the most out of the trip.

Tasks will be set according to the conditions, your goals and ability. We usually set at least one 100km+ flight with our more experienced groups, sometimes more.

The Southern Alps are the place to be in September with long days and plenty of sunshine.

Trip schedule

We’ll arrive at the accommodation on Saturday afternoon in plenty of time to get set up ready to fly on Sunday morning.

We usually have a debrief of the previous day’s flying after breakfast, followed by a weather and route briefing. On a normal day, we have an XC flight in the afternoon and an evening flight, before going out for dinner.

Flights

We fly in and out of Nice airport which is well served from all London airports.

Accommodation

We’ll be staying in typical French holiday apartments close to the centre of Saint André les Alpes. Accommodation is based on two pilots sharing a room, although a limited number of single rooms are available (at a supplement). Breakfast is included. We usually go out for dinner, although we do have access to barbeque and cooking facilities at the accommodation.

Cost

£1,300

The trip cost includes

• Bed and breakfast accommodation, based on two sharing
• Airport transfers
• Transport to take-off (excluding chair lifts) and all retrieves
• Coaching and guiding.

BOOKING

Contact us to book. Your place will only be confirmed once we have confirmed we have a space available and received your deposit of £350. The balance is due eight weeks before the trip.